Skimming is form of identity theft involving debit cards. Skimming is accomplished in a number of ways but always involve capturing both the information on the magnetic strip on your debit card and your pin you use to complete a debit transaction.
Thieves place electronic devices over top of debit ATM machine swipers to intercept the information that is stored on your debit card’s magnetic strip. The device fits neatly over top of the existing card swiper
To capture your pin, thieves either place a camera over where you enter the digits of your pin or other times, they use a thin plastic keyboard to cover the number keys allowing them to capture your entry while also allowing you to enter the digits in the ATM machine to complete your transaction
No matter how skimmers plan to steal your information, here are a few things to look out for:
- Look for cameras above the keypad where you enter your pin – cameras could even be located in brochure racks or mounted nearby
- Look out for strange covers over top of the ATM card swiper where the plastics appear to be inconsistent in color or uneven
- Check key pads for inconstancy in material and color possibly cover over top of the real key pads
- if you can see behind ATMs check to see if there are any odd electronics plugged in or connected to your ATM